Below is an article I wrote for a Canadian Christian radio industry magazine.
It’s pretty old.
–
Puberty. That phase during adolescence when your voice drops, the opposite sex is suddenly the best thing EVER and you realize: “Oh my goodness, I’m going to look like my dad someday!” I’m not REALLY talking about puberty in that sense though.
To me, it feels like the Christian music industry has hit a brick wall of change, confusion and awkward transitions.
Even though I may not have been around for the beginning and/or evolution of the genre, I’ve learned my fair share during my time writing, recording and touring as Hello Kelly. While this awkward transitional phase affects labels, radio stations, retailers and listeners alike, what I notice most is how this awkward transitional phase affects the bands.
These days, it’s more difficult to sell CDs, more difficult to book tours and WAY easier to get discouraged. Naturally, I believe Hello Kelly is a great band (probably because I’m IN the band), but all of this change in the industry has forced us to make some changes in the way we do business in 2009.
1. Add More Things to the Menu. Whenever booking a show, we make sure to let promoters know that, in addition to putting on our full-blast concerts, we’re also available to lead worship, perform acoustic concerts, or play special music during Sunday church services. This is something we never did before 2009, but we’ve already been able to book a whole week in one city, appearing at 5 of one church’s different weekly events. The result is more opportunities to play, sell merchandise, serve a community and get to know people!
2. Travel Lighter. Hello Kelly has downsized from being a 5 piece band to a 4 piece band PLUS we’ve eliminated all unnecessary equipment from our rig. This has made it possible to fit all four guys, all of our equipment AND a small bed in our van. By leaving a bunch of gear, our big trailer, and one guy at home (sorry, man!), we’re going to be able to save a ton of money on gas mileage, vehicle maintenance and McDonalds.
3. Get Better. Uh, duh? This spring, for the second time in it’s 5 year career, Hello Kelly is spending time with a performance coach. Last time we did this, promoters and fans couldn’t stop saying good things about the show! While having radio-friendly songs is important, everybody knows that the bread and butter for any band is touring. It wins fans and it pays the bills. Any band who isn’t putting tons of focused, concentrated energy into an AMAZING live show is a little bit crazy to me. I mean, come on … have you SEEN School of Rock!?
With these three strategies, Hello Kelly hopes to beat these trying times and still have a great year! Obviously, the ingredient I haven’t mentioned yet is faith. God promises to provide for His children, and that, more than any strategy, is what makes touring bearable. A lot of things are in the air with the Christian music industry and, at this point, I don’t think anyone knows how all of the pieces are going to fall. I suppose the most anybody can do is to keep on trucking and have faith that the industry, like every other puberty-stricken teen, will someday mature into a healthy, striving adulthood.
–
(Francy is the singer/songwriter of radio-friendly Canadian band Hello Kelly and also a freelance writer. He lives in Orangeville, ON and thankfully hasn’t had to worry about puberty in a while!)
The Christian Music Industry and Puberty
Below is an article I wrote for a Canadian Christian radio industry magazine.
It’s pretty old.
–
Puberty. That phase during adolescence when your voice drops, the opposite sex is suddenly the best thing EVER and you realize: “Oh my goodness, I’m going to look like my dad someday!” I’m not REALLY talking about puberty in that sense though.
To me, it feels like the Christian music industry has hit a brick wall of change, confusion and awkward transitions.
Even though I may not have been around for the beginning and/or evolution of the genre, I’ve learned my fair share during my time writing, recording and touring as Hello Kelly. While this awkward transitional phase affects labels, radio stations, retailers and listeners alike, what I notice most is how this awkward transitional phase affects the bands.
These days, it’s more difficult to sell CDs, more difficult to book tours and WAY easier to get discouraged. Naturally, I believe Hello Kelly is a great band (probably because I’m IN the band), but all of this change in the industry has forced us to make some changes in the way we do business in 2009.
1. Add More Things to the Menu. Whenever booking a show, we make sure to let promoters know that, in addition to putting on our full-blast concerts, we’re also available to lead worship, perform acoustic concerts, or play special music during Sunday church services. This is something we never did before 2009, but we’ve already been able to book a whole week in one city, appearing at 5 of one church’s different weekly events. The result is more opportunities to play, sell merchandise, serve a community and get to know people!
2. Travel Lighter. Hello Kelly has downsized from being a 5 piece band to a 4 piece band PLUS we’ve eliminated all unnecessary equipment from our rig. This has made it possible to fit all four guys, all of our equipment AND a small bed in our van. By leaving a bunch of gear, our big trailer, and one guy at home (sorry, man!), we’re going to be able to save a ton of money on gas mileage, vehicle maintenance and McDonalds.
3. Get Better. Uh, duh? This spring, for the second time in it’s 5 year career, Hello Kelly is spending time with a performance coach. Last time we did this, promoters and fans couldn’t stop saying good things about the show! While having radio-friendly songs is important, everybody knows that the bread and butter for any band is touring. It wins fans and it pays the bills. Any band who isn’t putting tons of focused, concentrated energy into an AMAZING live show is a little bit crazy to me. I mean, come on … have you SEEN School of Rock!?
With these three strategies, Hello Kelly hopes to beat these trying times and still have a great year! Obviously, the ingredient I haven’t mentioned yet is faith. God promises to provide for His children, and that, more than any strategy, is what makes touring bearable. A lot of things are in the air with the Christian music industry and, at this point, I don’t think anyone knows how all of the pieces are going to fall. I suppose the most anybody can do is to keep on trucking and have faith that the industry, like every other puberty-stricken teen, will someday mature into a healthy, striving adulthood.
–
(Francy is the singer/songwriter of radio-friendly Canadian band Hello Kelly and also a freelance writer. He lives in Orangeville, ON and thankfully hasn’t had to worry about puberty in a while!)